LTB 532/20 – ROYAL MAIL GROUP – PEOPLE APP
No. 532/20
10th November 2020
Dear Colleagues,
ROYAL MAIL GROUP – PEOPLE APP
Royal Mail Group recently informed the DGS(P) Department of their intention to develop a People App which they consider to be a tool that would help to improve employee engagement. It was also evident following reports from the field that a number of units were being asked to become involved in pilot activity relating to this technology. As a result the Department requested a meeting with the business.
On 22nd October 2020 the DGS(P) Department met with Harriet Bradley and Lindsay Holmes-Sykes of the Strategy and Services area of the business to discuss what the People App would mean for our members.
Branches should note that during this meeting management confirmed that the People App is a voluntary digital tool that individual members will be able to access through a strict registration and logging in process. This is a non-mandatory App that can be deleted in the same manner as any other App and has no GPS tracking capability. Once an individual has downloaded and accessed the App they will then be able to access their own personal work information such as payslips and details about their annual leave. The data provided will relate to that individual only and will not be accessible by management or other colleagues.
Royal Mail Group have gone through a build phase that involved a ‘Beta Group’ of 65 frontline employees, including managers, and are now in a position to pilot the App in a number of varying business units throughout the United Kingdom. They intend to commence the pilots to circa 5,000 people in mid/late November after using various mediums ahead of this activity to promote the App such as e-mails, letters to home addresses and socially distanced workplace events.
Branches are advised that the pilot activity is expected to last for around six weeks and be used to gain feedback around potential improvements to the App that will then be rolled out at the beginning of 2021.
Following a meeting of the Postal Executive on 27th October 2020 a questionnaire was sent to the business that focused on how the People App would be used. A response to each question has now been received and the full list of questions and answers are attached (Attachment 1). Branches should note that this information should be used to inform local Representatives of the union’s stance on this App.
In addition the Department arranged for the business to give a presentation on 6th November 2020 to a number of lead Senior Field Officials to ensure that they were fully informed of this activity and given the opportunity to pose further questions and comments. The Royal Mail Group slides that were used at this meeting are attached (Attachment 2).
Finally, as with all initiatives of this kind, it is important that we are able to feedback comments and concerns to management through a national lead. Branches should therefore note that Postal Executive member Katrina Quirke has agreed to oversee this activity on behalf of the DGS(P) Department with the remit of ensuring that our collective agreements are not undermined by this initiative from Royal Mail Group.
Branches will be advised of further developments as and when they occur.
Any enquiries in relation to the content of this LTB should be addressed to the DGS(P) Department.
Yours sincerely,
Terry Pullinger
Deputy General Secretary (Postal)
LTB 532/20 – Royal Mail Group People App
LTB 532/20 – Attachment 1 – People App Q&A
LTB 532/20 – Attachment 2 – People App Introduction – FINAL CWU